Culture
of United Arab Emirates
Here
you will find a most important informations
about UAE's culture
CULTURE
Islam is the official religion
and Arabic the official language. The majority
of the local population is Sunni. The communities
have their own schools and social and cultural
institutions. English, Urdu/Hindi and Farsi
are also spoken. Traditionally, the people
of Abu Dhabi are courteous, kind and friendly
and quite hospitable both in social matters
and in business. Foreigners. especially tourists
and visitors are treated with generosity.
But they in turn are expected to respect local
customs, especially religious practice. and
abide by the law of the land. During Ramadan,
the holy month of fasting, non--Muslim foreigners
are expected to refrain from eating. drinking
and smoking in public places during the hours
of fasting. In Ramadan official working hours
are reduced. Shops compensate for the loss
of business by staying open longer. The two
Eids arc also the period when many people
go abroad for holidays. It is, therefore,
advisable to book flights in and out of the
UAE well in advance.
NATIONAL
DRESS
Native menfolk of the Arabian
peninsula have a distinct form of dress. They
wear an ankle-length shirt (dishdasha), usually
white (or colored or striped in winter), a
white, or sometimes red-chequered, headcloth
(ghutra) and the twisted, black rope piece
(agal), holding the gutra in place. Men of
distinction and the Sheikhs also wear on top
of their dishdasha a flowing cloak (abba or
bisht) edged with gold braid. It may he black
or brown. UAE women are very particular about
their dress. They generally cover themselves
from head to feet with a black cloak called
the ahaya'.
CAMEL
RACING
Reflecting the traditions of
the desert, the role of the camel has been
given much attention. Once it carried the
people across the sands, providing at the
same time milk, meat and leather, while its
shoulder-blades were used as little 'blackboards'
for children studying. Now proper school equipment
is available from other sources, as is leather,
but many local families still keep a few for
meat and for milk. To encourage them to do
so, the government offers subsidies to those
who still keep this noble and historic beast
of burden. The camel will more easily be noticed
by the visitor, however, during the great
camel races held in various locations throughout
the country in the winter months, when owners
from the Emirates and the rest of Arabia pit
their fastest steeds one against the other.
The major festivals attract many hundreds
of camels to compete for prizes that total
several million dollars. The top steeds can
each fetch well over a million dollars. Camel-racing
has become one of the country's most popular
spectator sports.
BOAT
RACING
Another tradition that has
taken on new life in the years since the UAE
was established is that of boat racing, now
given substantial encouragement by the government
in the form of handsome cash prizes. Two kinds
of boats are used. The first is powered by
a single sail that catches the wind to drive
wooden boats of shallow draught fast across
the surface of the sea. A couple of dozen
such sailing boats scudding across the waves,
their sails shining in the sun, is one of
the most romantic sights to be seen anywhere.
The other boats are powered by men, not the
wind, great rowing boats of 20 meters or more
in length, rowed by up to a hundred oarsmen
straining every muscle to reach the finishing
line. Boat races are held on special occasions
throughout the year, to commemorate events
such as the annual National Day holiday, and
have proved a popular attraction for visitors,
while, at the same time, keeping alive the
maritime traditions of the UAE's sturdy people.
FALCONRY
More of an individual sport
is that of falconry, whose origins among the
Arabs date back many centuries, and are lost
in the mists of time. Flying Saker or peregrine
falcons prized for their strength or speed,
the people of the Emirates practiced falconry
in the past not merely as a sport but as a
way of providing a useful supplement to their
diet, or a tasty hare, or a well-fed bustard.
Today, it is purely a sport. and one which
is popular from the highest to the lowest
in the land. Like other hinters, however,
the people of the Emirates are concerned with
the need to) understand and protect the environment,
and the quarry which they hunt, lest it disappears.
FOLK
MUSIC AND DANCE
Folk dances and music are integral
to any celebration. Most dances are male-oriented.
Everybody present at a joyous occasion is
expected to join in. Dancers sway together
in a line or a circle or clapping to the accompaniment
of tambourines of various sizes, with rings
or bells attached. Drums are an integral part
of classical and folk music. A popular dance
for females has young girls in flowing black
tresses swing their heads in a hypnotic, undulating
movement. Many popular songs are sung on special
occasion. Both music and words, usually of
a bedu dialect, are simply composed. The wedding
provide the most popular occasions for traditional
dancing. Dance groups may begin performing
a week or more before the event. Most wedding
music and dance is of local origin but some
brought by immigrants have also been absorbed
into the folklore. At functions attended by
local dignitaries and state guests a particular
folksong - the Ayyalah - is performed. This
is basically developed from a war song whose
purpose was to raise the morale of the fighting
men.
